The Flash S03 E13: ‘Attack on Gorilla City’

We’ve heard the rumors and prayed they were true, but it finally here – the return of Super Gorilla Grodd on The Flash, and this time we get to see Gorilla City. Team Flash goes on the hunt for their friend, the Earth-Two Harrison (Harry) Wells, who’s been captured by Grodd, and it just gets worse from there. Meet me after the super-speed cross-dimensional jump for my review of “Attack on Gorilla City.”

What Has Gone Before

When last we left our heroes, Jesse Quick had come back over from Earth-Two to get help to save her father Harry Wells, who’d been kidnapped and taken to Gorilla City. This put her back into the arms of Kid Flash, Wally now with speed powers. We get more details as we open on this episode. Wells had received an invitation to Gorilla City, had gone missing after going there, and further search parties only found the bodies of everyone else, beaten to death.

On the TV Earth-Two there’s a city of highly intelligent super-evolved gorillas in the center of Africa called Gorilla City. When Grodd last rampaged, that was where he was sent, presumably so he could live out his life with those like him. However, Barry is tempted by the blackboard of tomorrow. If stopping Grodd on Earth-Two now keeps him from launching an attack on Central City could change the timeline.

Gorilla City

While Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and an over enthusiastic Julian journey to Earth-Two, Jesse and Wally stay home to offer super speed protection to Central City. In the comics, Gorilla City is a hidden home of super-evolved telepathic gorillas (on Earth-One), whose most dangerous and famous citizen is the malevolent Grodd. Imprisoned for his crimes as frequently as he has escaped, Grodd is perhaps the most dangerous and powerful creature born on Earth.

Gorilla City’s leader has been Solovar, who was not only a friend to the Flash, but had his civilization join the United Nations. However later this peaceful ruler was killed by human terrorists. The city is super-advanced, hidden from the world of man, and populated by gorillas similar to Solovar. It is noted that Grodd is their world’s only aberration.

Solovar and Injustice

On the television version of Gorilla City, it’s not hot, and more of a forested region as opposed to a jungle clime – probably due to where these shows are filmed – Vancouver). When the team is captured, imprisoned, and confronted by Grodd in the body of Wells – another story is told. This Solovar wants war, and he wants to fight our team – especially the Flash in the arena. Otherwise the gorillas will attack Central City and give more credence to the future where Iris dies.

In the arena Solovar kicks the crap out of the Flash, as Cisco’s orders go quickly from using super speed punches to running away quickly. The amount of CGI in the arena scenes added to the actual fight between Solovar and the Flash can’t help but remind me of the Injustice fighting videogame. That said, the sketchy CGI videogame effects bring down the actual, usual, special effects of the show.

Meanwhile

While we’re in full-on adventure mode on Earth-Two, Wally and Jesse on Earth-One are pulling on the soap opera threads of this CW TV machine. It looked like they were fighting some thugs on the surface, but my cable info on this episode indicated these were thieves with an anti-gravity motif, so I was hoping for Hawkman villain I.Q. and his gang, but that never did seem to manifest. What did was a bit silly actually.

Wally, and to a degree Jesse, wanted to resume their pseudo-romance. Jesse, not wanting to ruin Wally’s day in the sun as Kid Flash, was having cold feet. She also didn’t want to crush her father by telling him – once he’s safe from the gorillas, of course, that she’s moving to Earth-One. We do have enough speedsters here, unless we need fodder for Savitar to kill… but let’s not go there yet.

The Trick

Despite all the CGI and the spinning green screen, I think we are know this was a trick. Grodd is in charge, and the Flash beating Solovar was part of the real plan. Once the citizens of Gorilla City see how dangerous the Flash is, they will follow Grodd against Central City. And of course he’ll use Vibe power to get that army to Earth-One. It’s a simple trick, but let’s face it, even in his best moments, Grodd is rarely a beast of finesse.

Caitlin Killer Frosts Barry so he appears dead and Grodd takes him out of the prison cell. From there he releases everyone else. First order of business is to Vibe back home, leaving a very angry Grodd raging behind them. Team Flash seems to get away with it, so all’s well that ends well… so far. We do know this is a two-parter after all…

Dueling Welles

When Harry gets back to Earth-One, he is a bit astounded to still find H.R. still there. The feeling is that Harry knew H.R. was a bit of a fraud and a crackpot – do these two have a past with one another? Could that be why H.R. is giving such bad advice to Jesse and then laughing to himself about it? It is as if there’s a battle of intelligence and ineptitude going on here. Hopefully it won’t affect the outcome of this two-parter.

The killer cliffhanger here is that Grodd has Gypsy on his side, whether a prisoner or just doing her job, she’s ready to open the portal to Earth-One’s Central City for Grodd’s army…

The episode was a bit of a slow one, but efficient in what was presented – the beautiful and mysterious Gorilla City, and a fight between our Flash and Solovar. It doesn’t get better than that. Hopefully the best, and the worst, is yet to come, and I can’t wait.

Next: Attack on Central City!

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About Glenn Walker

Glenn Walker is a professional writer, and editor-in-chief and contributing writer at Biff Bam Pop!. A blogger, podcaster, and reviewer of pop culture in all its forms, he's done stints in radio, journalism and video retail. Ask him anything about movies, television, music, or especially comics or French fries, and you’ll be hard pressed to stump him or shut him up.